Within our community of bladers, individuals from all corners of the globe come together to share passion for skating. Our common love for blading unites us across geographic, economic and cultural gaps that some people in this world never get to bridge. Never want to bridge. What a loss for them. But for us bladers, this rich tapestry of diversity is one of our proudest possessions and most valuable commodities. And it is through such connections that the world knows the incredible talents of Yuri Botelho. Himself a transplant from Brazil to Spain, Yuri burst onto the international scene in 2010 with his pro Razors boot and big tricks in the Ground Control video, and has stayed part of the conversation ever since. After realizing it had been about a year since his last big edit we wondered “What’s Yuri up to?” and we found out in this interview with the man himself. (Hint: There’s a new edit coming soon.) Enjoy.

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Yuri, hey — tell everyone your full name, where you live, how old you are, and how long you’ve been blading.
Hi, my name is Yuri Botelho Delamarque. I live in Barcelona, I’m 27 years old, and I’ve been on skates for 17 years.

When did you end up on blades? Can you tell us how that happened?
When I was 5 years old my cousin loaned me some skates, then at next Christmas I asked for a pair and my mom got me some. They were the usual bad, no-name brand type — but it was a start. I guess I knew about aggressive skates because it caught my eye somewhere but I’d never seen it in person or at a skatepark. So mostly I was racing with my friends, speeding down hills, jumping some obstacles… until I went to Bilbao (Basque country, Spain) in early 2000. I moved close to one of the best skateparks and immediately started trying aggressive skates.

Who were your early influences?
My friends at the skatepark. In those days there were so many bladers. I was maybe 12 by now and these guys were maybe in their 20s. They really influenced me at first and then videos like “Coup de Tat,” all the “VGs,” “Standfast,” FOR 2,”  and DB’s “Under the Influence.”

Tell us how you got hooked up with Razors.
It was in 2004. I took first place Am at FISE and the next weekend at the X-battle. After the contest, Razors’ Spanish distributor, Luciano Zurro, put me on the Razors Spain Am Team.

What year did your skate come out? When did you know you were supposed to get a pro skate?
My first skate came out for Christmas of 2010. I was talking with Jesus Caravaca, who handles Razors distribution here in Spain now, and we worked with Andy to make it happen. We decided to do a Genesis boot for Spain. Jesus Caravaca helped me a lot with the design. I hear that the skate was popular in other countries as well! I felt a lot of support from everyone so thanks — I was so happy for my first pro model!

What other companies look out for you with sponsorship or the hookup?
Haha, some others…

Sifting through Google results it looks like just about one year since you dropped your last big online edit. Should we be expecting something new soon?
Right now I’m working on my first V.O.D that we’re filming here in Spain. I want it to represent my best.

What kinda stuff do you get into when not blading? Can you walk us through a regular day for you? What’s your daily routine?
I’m studying physiotherapy which takes up time most of my mornings. I live with my girl, and in our free time we like to go around taking photos or just getting out to do something. I love cooking at home, hanging out with my friends, and exercising. These things and blading make up my days.

Looking around at contemporary blading, what aspects are you most excited about? Who inspires you to innovate and keep blading?
I really exited with the new staff like the Ground Control MEGA frames or the BIG frames. I don’t try to take the inspiration in anybody, I just love to feel how good things are on blades and trying to do the things that take my attention.

So besides this interview and some banger ass edit we hope is forthcoming, what else have you been working on?
Like I said before, I’m working on my V.O.D that I want to be my best tricks, and this time I plan to do the editing too. I’ve also got a website of blading with my girl www.mundorolling.com — it’s in Spanish language, but we’ll try to do more content for this year. And i’m also working in a project to do a series of summer camps.

Should people expect to see you at any international events this year? Any other travel planned?
Yes, I am going to Winterclash this year! I’m so exited about that, plus there’s also some other big events in Europe this summer I’ll probably attend. Then I might be going to Brazil in December.

What is your current set up? What do you look for when picking out a setup and getting your skates ready to blade?
Razors SL 3 with GC MEGA frames and 8x64mm GC wheels with abec 7 bearings. The first thing I look for is definitely good wheels and a comfortable skate — or depending on the spot whether or not I prefer to skate with Big frames.

Any pointers or tips for your fellow bladers about blading or life?
Keep rolling and stay true.

Thanks or shout outs… or anything else we should talk about that I forgot?
Big thanks to ONEblademag for the interest on my blading! Thanks to my sponsors: Razors, Ground Control, Mimaria Hemp Clothing, Nexus Skateshop. Thanks To my girl, Javiera Garrido, for taking the photos in this interview and for always suporting me. And extra thanks to my mum and my friends for being part of my life.

Then cool man, thanks for taking the time to get the photos and answer our questions. Be good! Stay safe!

Photos by Javiera Garrido and Ton Neves.